


Beneath the Mask, He is Only Human

by InsomniacTiger



Series: Someone Help Joker [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-typical swearing, Family Fluff, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Persona 5 Spoilers, Protectiveness, Slight Canon Divergence, Spoilers up to 6th Palace, Spoilers up to Novemeber, Tags May Change, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:06:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24152527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsomniacTiger/pseuds/InsomniacTiger
Summary: Akira was made the leader of the Phantom Thieves, he still isn't sure how that came to be, but he takes this responsibility seriously. Maybe too seriously. But what does being a leader entail? There is no handbook telling him what he needed to do, so he made it up as he went along. His friends pick up on small clues here and there that maybe he is taking on too much. And Morgana won't say either way.But can they help him before its too late and he destroys himself?
Series: Someone Help Joker [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752271
Comments: 18
Kudos: 175





	1. Beneath the Mask -

Sometimes it still surprised him how many adults ruined the lives of the younger generation before they even had chance to really live their own lives. Haru had just joined their team, and stealing her father’s heart had gone… wrong. Not only had she been abused and treated as an object to be sold off, she would never get the chance to reconcile with her father.

It was messed up.

At least she still had a place to live, unlike when Yusuke had joined them in their endeavor with Madarame. He seemed to be doing well enough now at the dorms. But it could be better. It was on more than one occasion that the tall teenager had showed up at Leblanc with a long formal speech that basically came down to he was hoping they would feed him the leftover scraps that they didn’t sell during the day.

Of course, Akira never gave him ‘scraps’, he always made a feast of curry for his friend, with even more to send back with him to Kosei.

He leant Ryuji money with no expectations of being paid back because he knew he needed it.

He went shopping with Ann when she had to go late at night because her visits to the hospital went longer than planned and even though she was strong, it didn’t hurt to have backup.

He helped Makoto keep things in check at school and spent time with her when she was lonely from being ignored by her sister.

He played games and read magazines with Futaba on days she was really missing her mother.

Morgana was always with him with an opinion to give freely. But he knew on most days that he was just looking for comradery and banter that he had developed over the last few months with Akira.

And now… there was Akechi. The detective was just… a lot to take in. But he seemed to be fine on his own and had been so far reliable in the Metaverse.

While splitting his time supporting his team mentally, he also provided them with weapons, curatives, armor, anything they may need to keep them safe while they were the Phantom Thieves.

There were days when he would get home after a day of classes, working at the flower shop, then ending the day with bartending at Crossroads… and he would lie on his bed and just stare at the supports in the attic ceiling. Somedays it felt like maybe it was too much. He was still a criminal out on probation in the eyes of the adults and other students. Though Sojiro had recently discovered about his and Futaba’s ‘free time activities’, he still was supporting him in his own ways. But the man had his own issues to deal with Futaba’s uncle… and it was just a lot. 

Akira wanted to help them all though.

And even after a long day and he was about to finally get some sleep his phone would go off with a text from Mishima asking to meet him right now to discuss something ‘important’. So, he gently shifted Morgana aside and would pull on his street clothes once more before stumbling down the stairs and meeting the teen that also looked to Akira for help.

It wasn’t in him to say no.

He would always help someone in need because it was right.

Even if it got him a record in the eyes of the law, he had no regrets helping anyone. Ever.

* * *

They hadn’t thought too much of it initially. Morgana was always with him, so they just assumed it was the not-a-cat’s bossy nature that had driven Akira to show up in Mementos with all the new gear. But Ann noticed it first when they were in Madarame’s palace. Suddenly Joker was pulling out stronger curatives.

“Hey! Thanks Leader!” Skull cheered when he was handed one, the last Shadow had given him quite a beating.

Joker just smiled before offering one to Panther who also hadn’t done her best back there. She took it with an apologetic smile before looking at the inscription on the vial. It was a very generic looking glass tube that simply had a taped-on label with someone’s handwriting marking it for what it was.

When she had inquired about Joker had shrugged with a “Don’t worry about it.”

Later when Skull and Joker were looking over the MetaNav Panther had asked Mona about the new meds. The smaller Thief was always willing to spill everything he knew for her, but now he just shook his head and muttered, “You don’t want to know. But I’m keeping an eye on him.”

That had made her frown, but if it was something serious surely Mona would tell them, right? He had been quick to say that they need to listen to Joker when he was appointed the leader of this group. But Mona gave just as many orders, if not more, then Joker ever did.

Watching as Joker grinned at something Skull was loudly describing, she decided he was smart enough to watch himself. And if he ever started looking ‘not ok’ then they would step in.

* * *

It was later when they were in Kaneshiro’s Palace that Yusuke made an offhanded comment about how their weapons had ‘intriguing customizations’ made to them. Makoto was still new to the Phantom Thieves, but she knew these people. After a thorough explanation of how things worked from Morgana, she felt confident in her assumption that somehow Akira was getting guns from a special supplier.

Ryuji confirmed that there was a shop that they liked to go to in Shibuya. She took it upon herself to visit with Akira one day when he said he was going to go pick up some new gear. He’d gently tried to tell her he didn’t need help, but she insisted taking advantage of his kind nature.

When they’d entered the shop the man behind the counter raised his eyebrows at seeing Akira, but said nothing when he noticed her step in behind him. They had selected a few things, taken a gamble on the rations vending machine, he’d been surprisingly pleased with the sticky packages they’d gotten. When he went to pay, he suddenly asked her if she could grab him one more ration from the machine. Turning while at the old thing, she saw him whispering with the man behind the counter. The man had swapped the gun with one that Akira had selected with another from under the counter.

As they were leaving Shibuya, Makoto had tried to question him about it but he just smiled and said that he’d done Iwai a favor the other night so it was just a small favor returned. He refused to elaborate further on the subject, so she finally dropped it. The fact was – she trusted him. He clearly only held good intentions, so she doubted he was doing anything illegal. Nothing worse than what they already did on a weekly basis anyway.

* * *

After Futaba had joined their group the girl mentioned that she had put in trackers on their phones so if there was an emergency, she could locate them. This was also when she took Makoto and Ann aside and mentioned that she was a bit worried about Akira. They were sitting in Leblanc having coffee, Akira and Morgana had yet to come back from school.

“Every night he leaves to go to Shinjuku, I looked up the location he stops at and it looks like it’s a bar.”

“Even in Shinjuku they wouldn’t serve a minor.” Makoto shakes her head.

“Do you think he would work there?” Futaba is messing with her phone, trying to get a better idea of what kind of place Crossroads was.

“He has a job,” Ann cut in. “He works at the flower shop in the Underground Mall. I see him there after school all the time.”

“It’s not impossible to have multiple jobs though.” Makoto pointed out thinking of her sister after their father passed. “But it would be ridiculous to think that a student he keeps as good of grades as Akira does also works multiple after school jobs.”

“That plus _other activities_ ,” The tall blonde muttered. “He must never get any sleep.”

At that moment the bell for the door chimes announcing a new customer, but when they turn to look, they see the subject of their conversation. He pauses for a moment, his eyes widening slightly at finding them in one of the booths, but then he just smiles and slides into one of the benches to chat with them. After a minute he excuses himself to go up to his room and change from his school uniform.

“Ok Morgana,” Futaba grabs his small body and pulls him into her lap so he can’t escape. “Spill. Where does he go every night?”

“What? Leave me alone!” He wiggles out of her grasp and sits on the table, shaking his fur slightly. “Why don’t you just ask him?”

“He always evades our questions.” Ann pouted.

“He’s a natural Thief.” Morgana says proudly.

“Where does he go?” Makoto asks again.

“He has a part time job.” He yawns before licking a paw and wiping at his face. “I’m always with him though. He stays out of trouble.”

“So, he works two jobs?”

“If you count the fact that he is also a Phantom then you could say he works even more than that.” Morgana flicks his tail.

Makoto glared at the cat not liking the way he worded that statement.

Akira came down at that moment dressed in street clothes and waving farewells as he headed out the door.

“Hey! Don’t leave me behind!” Morgana yowled.

The girls watched Akira paused waiting for his friend to catch up before carefully lifting him and putting him in his bag.

“He never lets me pick him up.” Futaba pouted.

“Ever since we met Morgana, he has made it no secret that Akira is his favorite.” Ann smiled taking a sip of her drink. “He does his terrible flirting thing with me, but when it comes down to it, he would choose sticking with him every time.”

“Akira is a special one.”

“Unlike Ryuji, did you hear what he did today at school?” Ann grumbled glancing at Makoto.

Makoto just sighed as Futaba leaned closer excited to hear about their school day.

* * *

“You should take a day off.” Morgana said as he watched Akira clean off the counter.

Crossroads had just closed for the night and Lala was counting the evening’s tips.

“I’m fine.”

“You have been running yourself ragged and we need to send the Calling Card to Okumura soon.”

“Have I been slacking in battle?” He asked as they headed for the train station, having got their wages from Lala for the night.

“Of course not, I would have said something sooner.”

“Then what’s the issue?”

“It’s just… this one is important for Haru’s sake. We have to be at our best. So, you should take time to rest before we go to steal the treasure.”

There was a moment of silence before he answered quietly. “These are people’s lives were messing with. No matter who it is, doesn’t that make each infiltration equally important? One wrong move and we could be murderers.”

“Well when you put it like that…”

“I’m always being careful Morgana.” He smiled down at his friend. “Don’t worry.”

* * *

It was the night before they had planned to infiltrate Sae Niijima’s palace that Morgana found himself locked inside the bag that he traveled in. Normally he could get the zipper undone himself but the thugs that had torn him off of Akira’s shoulder had shoved him inside of what felt like a trash can and the bag was being squished too much for him to make much movement. They had been on their way home from Crossroads when the thugs had jumped them.

He yowled and hissed as loudly as possibly trying to get someone’s attention. He heard scuffling and the sound of fighting.

Joker was strong and fast, but that was with the safety his teammates and Arsène at his back. Here, Akira didn’t have any weapons with him.

If Morgana could just _get out of this stupid bag_!

At least in this stupid cat form he was tuck in he had claws and fangs!

He needed to get out and help Akira!

Someone cried out at the sickening sound of what was likely a bone breaking.

There was some more scuffling then a silence.

Morgana waited to see if he could hear anything.

Where was Akira?

Was he ok?

Did he win?

Was he lying in this alley bleeding out?

Would anyone find him?

Would anyone find _him_ in this stupid trash can?

Suddenly the bag was being moved and the zipper was opening.

It was Akira, his face was bruised and bloodied, his glasses were missing, but his eyes held that victorious glint that Joker often wore after a fight with Shadows.

“You alright?” He asked as Morgana leapt out of the trash.

“Of course, I am! They locked me away! What about you?!”

“Nothing that won’t heal.” He smirked.

But Morgana saw the way he was holding his side.

“We are going to Takemi’s.”

It was because Akira just nodded and followed him toward the train station that worried him. Normally he would just smirk and say he would take care of it himself. But if he was willing to accept help then this was likely worse then it looked.

Or Akira was just _tired_.

* * *

“Alright, I stitched it up. I am not even going to ask how you got a knife to the ribs, but take it easy for a while.” The back-alley doctor gave him a fierce glare.

He nodded agreeably.

She sighed but then gave him an odd look.

Morgana growled at her, but she ignored him.

He knew what was coming.  
“I know you’re in pain right now so you probably just want to go home for the night… but I actually have a new mixture that may help that heal faster. Its untested though.”

“As usual.” Akira nodded. “How much faith do you have in its composition?”

“It’s about fifty – fifty honestly. The most I can guarantee is that it will keep it from getting infected, in case it was a rusty blade.”

Morgana growled louder, but Akira just pat his head in hopes of reassuring him.

“Ok. I’ll test it out for you.”

“I’ll let you take this one at home so you can sleep on it.” She offered him the new medication. “It may knock you out a bit longer so that you can heal properly.”

That… made more sense than it didn’t. Either way he knew she was genuinely trying to be nice in her own way. Offering him something to help heal and taking it home even if that meant she could observe the symptoms herself.

“Thank you.” He nodded and grabbed his bag with Morgana before heading to Leblanc.

Sojiro had already gone home for the night so they had the place to themselves.

“There is probably left-over food in the fridge,” Morgana mentioned. “Do you want to try eating a little something before taking the meds?”

He winced. “That may make it worse… in case… you know.”

He nodded. On more than one occasion Takemi’s meds had cause Akira to be physically sick on top of everything else he went through.

“Then let’s just try to go to sleep for the night.” He sighed curling up on the bed.

The night was rough. The drugs _did_ make him sick this time. When he wasn’t rushing to the restroom, he was lying on top of his blankets sweating out a fever and gritting his teeth through the pain in his abdomen.

Twice Morgana offered to call over one of the Thieves to help him, but Akira had just shoved his phone in his pocket and shook his head.

It would be fine.

That was always his answer.

* * *

They had made good progress in Niijima’s palace so far, the games had all been rigged but with Futaba’s help they had managed.

But now they had to challenge the arena game.

And Crow had nominated Joker to go alone.

Mona knew that on a regular day Joker would be fine. Crow was smart when he knew all the facts. But what he didn’t know was that Joker was still recovering from the injury that he had only received the night before.

Morgana had begged him to try and put off the infiltration today. But Akira had promised to take it easy today and not do anything too reckless. He also told Morgana to not saying anything to the others, because he didn’t need them worrying about him. Everyone needed to be at their best while in the Palaces.

This was too reckless.

They all knew that no matter what the rules said they were there was no way it was going to be a fair fight. Joker could _not_ do this alone. Not today.

“Maybe we should go home for today and try this tomorrow.” Mona suggested.

“Why put it off for another day? We are already here?” Crow asked.

“Yeah! Besides our fearless leader has got this in the bag! Right?” Skull grinned slinging an arm over Joker’s shoulders.

Joker nodded. “Yeah. No problem.”

“But-!” Mona stopped when he caught Joker’s gaze.

He promised not to say anything.

But Joker promised not to be reckless!

“I don’t know…” Noir bit her lip. “It seems kind of dangerous to send him in alone.”

Finally! A voice of reason!

“Especially when they clearly haven’t been playing by the rules they set thus far.” Queen agreed.

“It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious. If we back out today, we could think of a better plan of attack.” Yusuke reasoned.

“I have complete faith in Joker’s capabilities.” Crow argued lightly in that too-reasonable tone of his. He was staring down Joker who was staring back with an expressionless look.

“I’ll be right back.” Joker waved as he paid the entry fee and entered the gates.

Mona huffed angrily. This was not being careful.

“Let’s watch from the stands!” Futaba pointed at a stairwell.

* * *

They had been right. Joker was outnumbered instantly. So much for one on one. The first round he handled with his usual grace and ease. But the second one sent an ice spell at him that he mostly dodged, but a shard managed to hit him in the just the wrong spot. It was the spot that only Mona knew was already hurting.

Joker didn’t so much as flinch at the attack, but his eyes did narrow slightly.

The last battle was against a giant Shadow.

Joker was doing fine with his attacks, Arsène backing him up. When they were about to go in for the final blow the Shadow flailed in a last-ditch effort to win. He hit Joker squarely in his side and sent him careening across the arena.

“Joker!” The Phantom Thieves were on their feet in an instant.

Their leader didn’t move for a full ten seconds, but then he unsteadily got to his feet and pulled out his gun shooting the Shadow in the chest a few times killing it off.

The announcer bemoaned the fact that the Phantom Dweeb won and told them were they could collect their reward.

When they asked Joker if he was alright, he smiled and said not to worry because it would heal. But they were out of curatives having used the last of them in the House of Darkness maze.

They hurried to the bridge and crossed to discover the treasure’s location.

“Let’s return to the hideout so we can discuss sending the calling card.” Queen muttered trying not to stare at the formless mass that would become her sister’s treasure.

* * *

When they returned to the real world, they were in the attic that had become their hideout. Everyone always had the habit of checking themselves for any signs of the Metaverse even though they knew that the outfits and Personas didn’t travel over with them.

“Akira!” Morgana cried as he watched their leader’s eyes grow hazy before he collapsed completely.

“What the hell just happened?!” Ryuji demanded as he rushed over with the others.

Morgana pushed his way through and nudged gently at his friend’s shirt that was quickly growing darker.

“Check here, I think his stitches opened up again.”

From the amount of blood around the injury it was clear that the stitches had reopened a while ago and he had just kept quiet about it.

“This is why you didn’t want him to fight.” Makoto looked down at him.

“He made me promise not to tell.” He whimpered. “But _he promised_ he would be careful today!”

“As if he would actually do that.” Ann sighed.

Futaba was standing behind them all anxiously. “Is he… is he going… we – can’t call a hospital, right? Because they’ll want to know … that’s a lot of blood…”

“There is a clinic down the street.” Morgana said. “If one of you could just…”

Yusuke easily lifted his friend into his arms and made for the street. It was late enough that not many people were out walking around, and the few that saw them gave them wide berth. A large group of teenagers was rarely a good thing in these parts. Morgana led them to the clinic.

As soon as Takemi saw Akira in the taller boy’s arms she cursed and quickly ushered them back into her patient room. Only Yusuke and Makoto actually were allowed back there considering how many of them there were, though of course Morgana wriggled his way in as well.

“Is he going to die?” Futaba asked quietly, curled in on herself in one of the chairs.

Ann realized quickly that the last time the girl had probably seen that much blood was when her mother had been killed.

“No. I’m sure he’ll be ok. It wasn’t like it was large wound. And it didn’t seem to be anywhere vital.” She reassured their youngest team member with a comforting touch on the shoulder.

“As long as it didn’t puncture any organs…” Akechi muttered unhelpfully.

“Could you _not_ dude?” Ryuji growled at him as he dropped into the seat on the other side of Futaba.

“Akira is a strong guy. He’ll pull through just fine.” He grinned at Futaba.

Haru hummed her agreement even though her eyes wouldn’t leave the door where they had last seen him.

* * *

“I don’t ask questions normally,” Takemi said as she cleaned out the wound and began preparing to re-stitch the mess it had become. “But he was just in here a few hours ago and its already gotten worse. I gave him medication to help with this… did he not take it?”

“Of course, he took it!” Morgana grumbled. “Like an idiot. And it didn’t do anything except make him have fever and sick all night!”

Makoto took in his words before answering. “I believe he did take the medication last night, but he got into fight just a little bit ago… and well…”

“He was victorious at a cost.” Yusuke finished.

Takemi frowned at their vague explanation. But she didn’t push it. She had grown fond of her guinea pig though and didn’t necessarily want to see him pass so soon.

“Listen. I don’t know or care what you kids are into, but no matter what, he needs rest. Lots of rest. This was almost deep enough to be really bad. This bruising here is going to be a bitch for several days at the least. I am well aware that he runs himself into the ground doing three or four part time jobs on top of whatever did this to him. I won’t tell you what to do, however as his doctor, I would say that maybe one of you should stay with him for a few days to be sure he stays in bed and heals.”

“Three or four jobs?” Makoto muttered. “We only knew of two…”

“I will stay with him until it is time to remove the stitches.” Yusuke declared.

“Perfect.” Takemi rolled her chair so that it went back to her computer. “Bring him back in a week.” Then she turned her dark eyes toward them one last time. “And I’m serious. This was almost severe. Bed. Rest. Only.”

“Yes ma’am.” Yusuke replied as he carefully lifted Akira and waited for Makoto to get the door.

* * *

The pain in his side was a dull throb, and by the fuzziness clouding his thoughts he figured it was thanks to one of Takemi’s infamous medications. There was a warmness but his right hip that he knew was Morgana curled up taking a nap. Opening his eyes, he realized that he was in his bed, and that it must be night time with how dark it is.

“Are you awake this time?” Yusuke’s voice came from the couch.

Sitting up slowly as to not disturb Morgana too much Akira looked over at his friend who was lounging near the tv using its dim lighting to use the sketchbook on his knees.

“How long was I out?”

Yusuke checked his phone. “It’s been about nine hours since we brought you back from the clinic.”

“Takemi’s?”

“Yes, by Morgana’s recommendation. She didn’t seem too surprised to see you in such a way.”

There was certain accusatory tone there, but it was mostly concern that bled through.

“Well I’ve been helping her since I moved here, so we are fairly well acquainted.” Akira went to shrug then regretted the action.

That wasn’t what Yusuke had been asking and they both knew it.

“Very well then. I won’t push it. However, you do realize that everyone is looking for an explanation.”

Akira nodded. “I can tell them when we meet up tomorrow before sending the calling card.” He said keeping his voice soft for his snoozing friend on the bed.

“We are not meeting tomorrow.” Yusuke sighed.

“Why? We found the treasure.”

“Firstly, because I know it’s the answer you are looking for, Akechi believes that it would be most advantageous to wait until the eighteenth to send the card. Secondly, and more importantly mind you, we are waiting to go until your stitches are safe to remove and you are fully recovered.”

“I know it looks bad, because I fainted and all, but really its fine. I can still - ”

“Enough.” Yusuke’s voice had never been so severe while speaking to him. “I understand. I do. But we care about you. You are important to us and not just because you are our chosen leader for the Phantom Thieves. You are our cherished friend. We value your company, as well as your skills. When all is said and done it is not just Joker that we want to spend time with, but you, Akira.” The taller young man got to his feet and sat at the edge of the bed. “You really gave us a fright back there. And it really opened our eyes to all that was going on behind the scenes.”

Akira frowned.

“Don’t look at me like that.” He chided him. “You took too much on to yourself. There are nine of us in total. Let us share the work. Not just while in Mementos or the Palaces, but here too. You will no longer be working _four_ part time jobs, you will not be that mad woman’s guinea pig for medical experiments, and you will no longer be working with yakuza. Ex members or not.”

“Morgana’s been talking.” Akira sighed looking down at his constant companion to find that he had woken up.  
“I’m sorry… I know you asked me not to…” Morgana said quietly curling up carefully in his lap. “But… they needed to know everything that you were doing. I wanted to help… but in this form there isn’t a lot I can do.”

Akira hadn’t heard this quiet remorseful tone from him in a long time. He reached out and scratched behind his ears, knowing that he secretly liked despite the fact it made him seem too much like a cat.

“It’s fine.”

“And that’s the other thing.” Yusuke said. “No more of this ‘it’s fine’ from you. Nothing is fine right now. So, stop using that term. Just tell us what you are thinking and how we can help.”

“All right then.” Akira grinned reluctantly. “You sure you don’t want to be the leader, you sure are being bossy.”

“My bossiness comes from a caring heart.”

He chuckled. “Ok ok. I get it. Morgana, I really am not mad at you. Thank you for taking care of me all these months. I couldn’t have done as much as I did without your help.”

A bit of the younger team member’s confidence came back into his eyes.

“And I promise… I will be better at telling you guys everything.”

“Splendid!” Yusuke took his hand and gave it light squeeze. “Exactly what I wanted to hear. Now let’s get some rest.”

The tv was turned off and Yusuke had returned to his makeshift bed on the couch. He could feel Morgana purring. Despite the pain in his side this was the most content he had felt in months. It would be hard breaking himself of some the habits he had developed in trying to support his Thieves. They were big eaters, needed gear and weapon upgrades constantly, and the curatives he got from Takemi. But maybe… they could share some of the responsibility of obtaining that stuff.

Before he drifted off to sleep, he looked for his phone so that he could set an alarm. If Yusuke was spending the night, he needed to get up early to make coffee and breakfast for his guest...

“If you think you are going to be rising early in the morning, you are sorely mistaken.” His friend’s voice came from across the room. “Makoto and the other’s will be here in the morning with breakfast and you will simply just have to wait until they arrive. Go to sleep. I have hidden your phone anyway and am far too tired to retrieve it.”

Before he could protest, he felt Morgana shift next to him, and looked over to see the bright eyes glowing in the dark. “Also, I will bite your ankles if you try to get out of this bed.”

He laughed and dropped back against his pillow heavily. “All right. I get it. You guys win.”

“Glad you finally see it.” Yusuke yawned.

“Mhm. Goodnight you two.”

“Sleep well.”

“Good night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [@InsomniacTiger](https://twitter.com/InsomniacTiger)  
> Come say Hi over on Twitter! I post updates for my stories and art! :)


	2. Have A Short Rest -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Thieves try to convince Joker to relax, but that's not an easy thing for him to give into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have plans to turn this into a huge story or anything - but maybe a few random chapters of Joker taking care of his team and them taking care of him. Basically, I like writing this a lot and I'm just letting it be whatever it wants.

Needless to say, Akira was not used to being pampered by any means. When he said as much to Yusuke the man scoffed and said that this hardly counted. However around nine in the morning Ann, Ryuji, Makoto, Futaba, and Haru arrived at Leblanc with breakfast. Yusuke went down to let them in, insisting that he still needed to stay in bed. Morgana had taken to sitting either on his legs, or lap to be sure that he didn’t feel tempted to rise. When he woke that morning and told them he needed to _at least_ be allowed to use the restroom downstairs they agreed but only with Yusuke assisting him on the steps.

It had seemed overkill in his mind, but considering the monumental effort it took for him just to really going to be the end of the world. They had plenty of time now until Akechi wanted to send the calling card since Akira had wanted to get the infiltration out of the way early.

When their friends came up the stairs, they were eerily quiet in their steps. Considering that he had definitely heard Ryuji outside, it was hard to believe that it was his friends coming up the steps. But when they finally reached the top Futaba ran over and leapt on to the bed nimbly tucking herself into the corner next to where he was sitting.

“You idiot! You had us so worried!” She grumbled lightly smacking his shoulder.

He gave her a small smile that he hoped was reassuring. “Sorry about that.”

“Jeez man.” Ryuji snapped as he and Yusuke moved the table closer to the bed and rearranged some chairs and the couch so they could sit together. “Is that all you have to say? We had to take you to the freakin’ back alley doctor that probably used rusty needles to sew you up!”

Akira laughed. “Takemi is a professional despite the appearance of her office.”

Ann glared down at him with her arms crossed. “We are going to have breakfast, then we are going to have a team meeting. Until then we promised not to discuss _that_.”

“Agreed.” Makoto nodded as she and Haru finished laying out all the food.

It was a large spread of packaged pastries, toast, scrambled eggs, and someone had made pancakes. It was more than a little amusing to him when Morgana claimed the plate of pancakes for himself saying he wouldn’t share with _anyone._

While they were eating, they discussed lighter topics such as school work, the latest photo shoot that Ann was working on, and a particular difficult piece that Yusuke was trying to get a handle on for exhibit coming up. But when the food was gone and they were just sipping on the canned coffees that Ryuji had brought Makoto finally cleared her throat and looked sternly over at Akira.

“My first question to you, was why you felt the need to take on so much by yourself?”

He stared at her for a moment before answering. Of course, she would just get right into it.

“We needed funds. Gear, weapons, medicine… all that stuff costs money.”

“But don’t we make, like a ton of cash from the stuff we bring back from around the Palaces and stuff?” Ryuji asked.

“Sometimes.” He shrugged.

“I always wondered how you managed to sold some of that stuff.” Ann muttered. “We were finding things like broken telescopes, and rusty weapons. How much is that really worth?”

“Pretty much nothin’.” Morgana chipped in with his mouth full of pancake still. He really was eating the whole plate.

Akira gave him a withering look.

“They already know everything. I’m not keeping this stuff secret anymore.” He sniffed.

“But did you really need _four_ jobs to keep us in upgraded gear and weapons?”

“And every time he bought food for everyone.” Morgana piped up again.

They took a moment before realizing that… yes. Usually Akira provided snacks or took them out to meals. Even if they were just hanging out after school it was him that paid for everything. Sometimes he even covered train fare for them.

“We took advantage of your kindness…” Haru voice was soft as she looked down at the grainy table top.

He shook his head. “No. I wanted to do it. I like being able to contribute.”

“You don’t just _contribute_! You practically fund everything!” Ann argued.

“It hasn’t been equivalent,” Yusuke shook his head. “And what’s worse is that it had to come to _this_ for us to realize how far you were stretching yourself for our sakes.”

He was trying to think of a proper explanation. They needed to understand that they didn’t do this _to him_ , it was what he was trying to do _for them_. There was a difference here. They weren’t understanding.

Not that he was stupid by any means.

He comprehended where they were coming from.

But they had all been through so much more than he had, they deserved any kindness that could be given to them.

Yes, he had a criminal record for something he didn’t do.

But he was still going to school.

He still had both of his parents… even if they weren’t together right now.

Sojiro was giving him so much, it was just logical for him to return the favor. To pass it along.

“A good leader…” Makoto grabbed his hand to get his attention. “A good leader knows not only how to care for his team, but also when to let them help him too.”

“Guess I’m not so great at the leading thing then, huh?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

He grinned. “I know. Listen, if I honestly had thought that I couldn’t handle it then I would have slowed down.”

“Look what happened!” Ann snapped. “Is this ‘handling it’?”

“If you guys would just let me get up… I can go to Takemi and I’m sure she has some pain killers that would get me right back on my feet in no time. We don’t need to stop. Didn’t Mishima have another request?” He looked down at Morgana.

“I don’t think so.” He glared.

“Dude. Just…” Ryuji sighed. “At least wait until those stitches come out? Alright?”

Akira looked at his friends, his team, and they were watching him with concerned gazes. He had scared them. Instead of trying to ignore this and blow past it, he needed to reassure them. To encourage them.

A good leader probably doesn’t his team see any weaknesses.

“Ok.” He nodded. “I won’t go anywhere until the stitches come out. But after that - ” He paused to make sure he had their attention. Which was silly. They always cared about what he was saying. “After the stitches are gone, we are going out to celebrate.”

“Celebrate what?” Ann frowned.

“Who cares!” Ryuji grinned. “Where are we going?”

“Fish!” Morgana cheered.

“I can get us reservations at the park again.” Haru chipped in.

“We will each be paying for our own meals as well.” Makoto reminded them.

“Surely we can dip into the Thieves fund a bit…” Ryuji grumbled.

“Did you miss everything that just happened?” Ann snapped smacking him.

“Ow. No. It was a joke…”

“Ryuji’s brain just wasn’t working again. It needs to seriously be rebooted, with a huge upgrade.” Futaba stuck her tongue out at the blonde.

When Ryuji turned his glare at her she laughed and leapt from the bed to hide behind Makoto on the couch.

Their excited chatter was relaxing to listen to. Yes. He had scared them a bit, but they were a strong group, especially when they were together. And the prospect of eating a meal together always lifted their spirits.

As the others debated where they should go and what day they were all free to get together, Yusuke sat lightly on the bed beside him.

“I hope you realize that you just delayed the rest of the reprimanding, not avoided it.”

“I suspected as much.” He smirked.

“You are far too clever for your own good.” The artist sighed, but there was a smile on his face.

“If I get on your good side do you suppose I can at least talk my way into going somewhere besides sitting in this attic for a week?”

“I imagine that it won’t take much persuasion.” Yusuke hummed. “I don’t intend to let you out of my sight for the time being and I imagine I will get the worst case of ‘art block’ if I stay in this attic for too long.”

Morgana wiggled his way in between them on the bed and lightly head-butted Akira’s arm. “On the news I saw them mention that the planetarium was getting a new show that is supposed to be a big hit.”

“Sounds fun.” He nodded.

“I concur. Let’s make that tomorrow’s plan.” Yusuke agreed.

Akira chuckled. “So soon? I thought it was going to take at least two days for me to convince you to leave.”

The taller young man smiled. “Don’t take me for a fool, I know very well that you have a plan to get out likely as soon as this evening. If I offer to allow tomorrow then I get the advantage of having you stay in bed for at least one more night.”

Akira leaned back against his pillows glancing over at his friend. “And you said I’m the clever one.”

“You may as well tell me what your plan to get out of here tonight was now.”

“Bathhouse. I was somehow going to convince you to let me at _least_ take a walk across the street so that I can relax in the bathhouse. It may even be good for my aches.”

Yusuke glared at him.

Akira smirked back.

“Damn.”

Morgana sighed. “And Joker wins again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [@InsomniacTiger](https://twitter.com/InsomniacTiger)  
> Come say Hi over on Twitter! I post updates for my stories and art! :)


	3. Regret -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally feeling back to his usual self - mostly - Joker gathers his team for a casual trip to Mementos. Things don't go as planned...

Akira allowed exactly one week of the ‘taking it easy’ before he called them all to the hideout, minus Akechi who said he was too busy with his detective work and studies right now. Their recovering leader announced that he was going in to Mementos to take care of Mishima’s growing request list. Of course, they tried to insist he wait a few more days but he just shook his head and said the stitches were out and that was all he had promised. Besides, people needed their help and he wasn’t going to sit in bed playing video games when he could be _doing_ something for people.

Yusuke did sigh and admit that they should be grateful that he had given himself at least the week. The artist had stayed by his side full time during this week as he had promised, so he also had to vouch for the honesty in Akira’s claim to have rested.

In the end it didn’t matter what they said on it, because once his mind was made up, he wasn’t budging. With a grin he pulled his phone out and opened up the MetaNav.

* * *

They had gotten into a certain rhythm while in Mementos. Mona carried them through the distorted subway tunnels, and if a shadow appeared, they took care of it swiftly and efficiently. They had been at this long enough now that when the gurgling of sludge transformed into a Shadow before them Joker was quick to call out who would be best at handling the upcoming battle.

The other Thieves had gotten used to his deep voice suggesting tactics and didn’t doubt that he knew what was best. When Mona or Makoto suggested a different plan though he was quick to listen and often agreed. They weren’t just a bunch of teenagers playing heroes, they were a well-oiled machine. A perfect team. They knew what worked best for them and did what they could to help others with that.

But just because they were the perfect team didn’t mean that _they_ were perfect. They slipped up sometimes. The dodge wasn’t always fast enough, the shot was a little off, the ability they called upon with their Persona wasn’t always exactly the right choice. They made mistakes. But they knew they could afford little ones like that because they had someone at their backs. No one was ever alone.

Today they were searching for a man that had been killing cats to relieve stress. Needless to say, they were quick to respond once Joker gave them the intel, he had picked up from one of his part time jobs. Mona was adamant about finding this one as soon as possible, but Joker was just as determined.

While he, Skull, Noir, and Panther were clearing the way of some Shadows, Mona shook his head at the frown that had been growing on Joker’s face. Every time they had to stop to take care of small fries, he got that little frown that was hardly noticeable, but clear to the friend who was constantly at his side.

“He thinks I don’t know what he’s thinking.” Mona told Queen as she and Fox guarded Oracle who was on her device searching for the target’s location.

“But ever since this request was first mentioned he’s been insisting that I ride in that bag of his instead of letting me walk next to him. One night he tried to leave me behind while he went to work trying to talk me into taking a nap or something silly. When I told him I was just going to follow him anyway he grabbed me and put in that bag.” He sighed. “Then while he was working at the Triple Seven, I used to hang out in the back alley near the window. That way customers didn’t complain or anything. But last time he made me sit under the desk the whole time while he rang up customers.”

“His over protective mode kicked in.” Oracle chuckled.

“He’s worried that you would be a target.” Fox agreed.

“If we find this culprit today then you won’t have to worry about him shoving you under any more counters.” Queen tried to be reassuring.

Mona frowned. “But then there’s the guy who has been stabbing people at night. When I tried to tell him that he shouldn’t work any night jobs until we found that guy, he just told me I worried too much.”

“Does he still intend to work evenings?” Queen asked.

“As far as I know.”

“That’s unacceptable.” Fox sighed. “But we should have known that our ‘talk’ with him was hardly adequate.”

“I found him!” Oracle cheered pointing at her screen though no one else understood what was on it. “Let’s go!”

“Nice work Oracle.” Joker said coming over to where they had been standing. “Let’s go get him.”

* * *

When they finally found the man, it was Noir who had the final blow. She even scolded him about his cruelty to animals and how it was unforgivable.

“Wow Noir, didn’t know you could be so feisty.” Skull laughed as they headed back toward where Mona was waiting already having transformed back into his ‘Cat Bus’ form.

She blushed slightly but still frowned at the blonde. “What if that man had gone after Mona-chan? And think of all the poor innocent kitties that he hurt…”

Joker nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

When Skull opened his mouth to make some other comment Panther smacked him over the head before shoving him into his seat. “Moving on!”

“I think we have time for one more target if everyone is feeling up to it.” Joker checked his phone.

“We’re doing well.” Fox nodded gesturing toward their group. “How is your side feeling?”

“Great. This is the stretching it needed to stop feeling so cramped.”

“That’s for muscles.” Queen sighed.

“Dude you better not be pushing yourself again.” Skull leaned heavily on his shoulder.

“If you guys keep this up, I’m going to start coming here on my own without babysitters.” He joked shoving his friend off.

“As if you could handle these shadows without my mad skill.” The blonde boy smirked.

“That sounds like a challenge.”

“Maybe it was.”

“Here they go again…” Panther sighed.

“How about we split into two teams. Each after a different target. The first back to the entrance wins.” Skull proposed.

“In case your stupid brain forgot, there is only one me.” Mona growled shaking them slightly within the cab.

“We’ll just walk. If both teams walk than its fair.”

Joker was silent as he considered this.

“It actually sounds kind of fun.” Makoto admitted.

“I’m game if everyone else is.” Haru nodded.

“I don’t like this…” Oracle pouted. “Whichever team I end up on is handicapped a fighter.”

Skull nodded. “I forgot about that…”

Panther shoved his face into the headrest.

Joker shook his head. “Whichever team gets you has the advantage of your navigation and assistance.” He reassured her.

“Ooooh right! Oracle is on our team!” Skull spun in his seat as he called dibs.

“Nope too late.” She crossed her arms glaring at him. “I’m on Joker’s team.”

Joker smirked at Skull bemoaning the loss of a possible advantage in the contest he had created.

They split the teams with Joker having Oracle, Noir, and Fox. While Skull’s team consisted of Queen, Panther, and Mona. After he gave one more reminder for them to keep the medicines on hand and to use them as often as needed the two groups split up.

As fun as it was to have this contest there was a part of his brain screaming at him for letting half his team go off without him to watch their backs. But he tried to keep in mind everything they had been trying to drill into his brain over the last week about relying on them more. This was a good first step, right?

As he had predicted it didn’t take long to find their target with Oracle being her usual excellent Navigator self. They cleared the target, stealing their heart, and were gleefully running back to the Entrance when they heard the sound of Mona’s tires racing over the rails.

“ _JOKER_!” He screeched to a stop. “We need you now!”

There was no hesitation as they piled in, not even shutting the door before Mona was flying back the way he had just appeared from.

When they met up with the others it wasn’t a pretty sight. Panther was hovering over Skull and Queen, her whip never stopping as two large Shadows attacked with various spells. Queen was barely conscious, still trying to summon her Johanna to her side. Skull was not moving. Joker tore out of the cab and summoned Arsène as well as Ishtar. While Arsène cursed the Shadows that had been attacking, Ishtar followed Joker over to where his friends were huddled and helped him heal them instantly.

It was the longest five seconds of his life, but eventually Skull started breathing again. Queen was already back on her feet, albeit a little unsteady as Panther wrapped an arm around her waist.

Joker lifted Skull and carried him over to Mona where Fox was waiting to help him on to the seats.

“Take us home Mona.” Joker said quietly.

* * *

“What the hell…” Ryuji woke with a headache. Opening his eyes, it took him a moment to realize that he was in the attic of Leblanc.

“How are you feeling?” Ann handed him a can of juice and a couple pills.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time someone had been hit with an instant-death spell from a Shadow.

But it was the longest anyone had been out from one.

“M’fine… where’s Makoto?”

“I’m here.” She called quietly from the couch where she and Futaba were curled under a blanket together, Morgana sleeping soundly in their laps.

Haru was sitting next to Ann on the bed that Ryuji had been resting on.

“Does anything hurt?” The older girl asked.

“No. Really. I’m ok. Just a headache. But… where is he?”

Ann winced slightly. “He’s… downstairs with Yusuke.” She said quietly. “They're talking.”

Ryuji sighed. The contest was supposed to prove that they didn’t need Joker constantly watching over them… but instead they had provided an opportunity for him to feel powerless. Despite the fact that while in the Metaverse their Personas could almost cure any wound, including temporary death, it hit their leader hard anytime one of them had to experience it.

“He did it again.” Futaba said, trying not to sound depressed, but knowing she was failing miserably. “He summoned two.”

“Damn it.” Ryuji growled clenching his fist in the sheets.

Joker rarely summoned more than Arsène when they were in Mementos. But while they were in a Palace it was something he had started to do more often. None of them were sure he realized he was doing it until they were already there. But while it was draining on any of them to summon one Persona, the fact that he summoned multiple at once wrecked him. The first time it had happened he had fainted and they’d had to retreat to a Safe Room until he recovered.

Between Morgana’s random but apparent knowledge, and Futaba’s research and observations it had quickly become clear that even though Joker was special and had this ability – he should never use it. Futaba had struggled to describe what the readings looked like on her computer but finally she just went with a movie reference.  
“It’s like that movie! With the guy that’s not dead but mostly dead because of The Machine? The one that takes a year off his life every time it’s used? You know the movie? Where he’s like ‘I’m not dead I’ve been a pirate this whole time!’ That movie?”

Even if they hadn’t gotten the reference it was clear enough from what she had said.

It was draining him in a more long-term way then summoning one Persona did usually.

They had begged him to not _try_ to summon more than one at a time, and he had promised to ‘try’. But it was clear that he had every intention of doing so if he felt the need to step in and save one of them.

Like today.

“Damn… guys I’m sorry.” Ryuji sighed.

“It’s not your fault.” Haru patted his leg.

“She’s right, none of us would have guessed that Shadows that strong would be anywhere near that level of Mementos.” Makoto nodded.

“Still. I should have known better than for us to split up. Teams work better together.” He rolled onto his side to face the wall.

“Now we know.” Ann nodded. “We stay together. All the time. As much as we can.”

The others in the room nodded their agreement.

* * *

“Akira, I wish you would at least sit down.” Yusuke tried to keep his voice neutral but he knew it was heavy with concern.

Ever since it was clear that Ryuji was going to be alright their leader had been down here cooking up curry, enough for days at this point. And mixing different brews of coffee turning most of it into an iced version that they could keep in the cooler and take with them into Mementos when needed.

“I’m not finished.”

“You were finished hours ago. When we got home. You promised you would take it easy.”

“You’re right. I did. And look what happened when I wasn’t completely focused. So, we won’t be trying that again.”

“You can’t blame yourself for his injuries.”

“He was dead Yusuke.”

“And now he is alive. It was frightening, I will not argue that. However, in our line of work that is a risk we all take knowingly every time we don our masks.”

“What if we hadn’t made it in time?”

“We did make it in time.”

“But what if - ”

“Enough.” Yusuke’s deep voice grew sharp, but quickly relaxed again. “You never would have allowed any of us into the Metaverse alone. No matter what the scenario – you would have made it in time. We have faith in you. Please, don’t lose faith in us.”

Akira paused in his stirring over the stove top.

He turned off the heat and came over to the bar and sat heavily next to Yusuke.

“If anything ever happens to any of you…”

“But it won’t.”

“You’re not going to even let me consider it?”

“Not at all. Its not necessary. And now you have provided us all this curry and coffee we will never be weak again.”

Akira finally cracked a grin.  
“Finally. A small ray of sun.”

“It’s the middle of the night.”

“You know what I am speaking of. Don’t pretend to be ignorant.”

“Fine fine.”

“Shall we go say good morning to our sleeping beauty upstairs?”

“Yeah. Also, I need to let him know that starting tomorrow we are training twice as much after school.”

Yusuke stood stretching his arms over his head. “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.”

“Maybe you all should join us.” He glanced over at his taller friend.

“Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend such a rigorous event.”  
“And why is that?”

“I just don’t want to.” Yusuke grinned.

Akira stared at him in surprise for a moment before laughing. “Fair enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [@InsomniacTiger](https://twitter.com/InsomniacTiger)  
> Come say Hi over on Twitter! I post updates for my stories and art! :)


	4. The First Phantom Thief -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann gets phone charms for everyone, Morgana gets distressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little fluff and love for Morgana.

“Aren’t they cute?!” Ann exclaimed holding up the little phone charms she had bought in her hands.

They were sitting in the café area of Leblanc having just met after school. Akira had brought over bowls of curry for everyone and Sojiro had been kind enough to brew them a pot of coffee.

“Ooh I love them!” Haru picked up one to examine it closer.

“I got one for everyone!” Ann began handing out the rest.

“Aren’t phone charms just for girls?” Ryuji grumbled looking at the trinket in his hand.  
“I think its _charm_ ing Ann, thank you.” Yusuke said pulling out his phone to attach it.

Futaba groaned as Akira rolled his eyes but still smiled fondly. 

“This is nice having something that we all share.” Makoto nodded.

“Let me see!” Morgana climbed up into Akira’s lap to see whatever was getting excited about. “Hey… that…”

“It looks just like Morgana!” Futaba cackled as she stole Ryuji’s phone to attach his for him.

“But…” Morgana’s ears went back against his skull slightly. “That’s not…”

Akira looked down at him and offered a small smile before scratching behind his ears comfortingly to encourage them back up.

The smaller companion sighed but let it go.

They sat there for another few hours discussing whatever came up. A few people wanted to go see the newest movie in theaters, others wanted to check out Odaiba Seaside Park. They discussed times that they could meet together to make both events work. Then before everyone left for the night, they went up to the attic to discuss the infiltration plan for tomorrow.

Akira saw everyone out the door and flipped the sign to CLOSED before locking the door and turning off the lights. When he went up to the attic, he found Morgana curled up on his pillow, face turned toward the wall. He only did that when he was upset and wanted to talk about whatever it was that was on his mind.

Carefully sitting on the bed and leaning his back against the wall he waited for Morgana to bring it up.

It didn’t take long.

“Am I just the group mascot…?” His voice was muffled by the pillow.

He frowned. “Why would you say that? Because of the charms?”

He turned onto his side so that he could see Akira better. “Well. Yes. Ann and Haru kept saying how _cute_ they were… and they looked like this form that I currently have. Futaba even said that it looks like me… am I just like… a sidekick?”

“Definitely not.” He shook his head not hesitating to respond.

“But… the girls…”

“Would you rather they say that you were ugly?”

“No!”

“The way things are now, you do look different than us. And quite frankly, it’s a much cuter form than that of a human.”

Morgana opened his mouth to argue but Akira lifted him up and pulled him over into his lap so that he could hold him.

“That is a fact. You cannot argue that one. We will find the truth behind your past. I have promised you we will and I intend to do so. However, for the time being this is who you are. And we love you. Ann getting those phone charms for everyone was a compliment to you. Not only did she see something out in her everyday business that made her think of you, but she like it so much she wanted to share it with the people she cares most about.”

Morgana sat silently for a moment considering those words. His small chin was resting on Akira’s collar bone and he could feel the small puffs of air from him breathing.

“I suppose you’re right.” He finally conceded. “And not only that, but from now on they will always think of me, right? Because you guys are always on those phones! So, if they have a charm right there on it then they will have to!”

“Exactly.”

Morgana chuckled. “That means they may actually like me more than you now you know!”

He grinned. “I think I can live with that.”

As they were settling in to rest for the night Morgana hummed lightly as he curled up on his stomach.

“Something on your mind?”

“Well. I don’t have a phone or anything… but could I get one of those charm things too?”

“Of course.”

* * *

Akira sent a text early the next morning to Ann who responded instantly.

It wasn’t until a few days later though after the Thieves had finished meeting for the day that she hung around with Yusuke to talk to Akira and Morgana.

“Morgana, can I talk to you?” Ann sat cross legged on the floor.

“Of course, my lady!” He scrambled from his spot by Akira’s feet to sit next to her.

“Akira sent me a text the other day and asked if I could pick you up your own charm, and I got this idea for a special one just for you.”

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out what looked like a red heart shaped dog tag. At first Morgana frowned, but he looked closer to see the details that had been engraved into the metal. In the center of it was the hat and flame logo that Yusuke had designed for the group with name ‘Mona’ etched just beneath it. When Ann turned it over the back read “ _The Phantom Thief that started it all.”_

“Lady Ann…” Morgana sniffled. “I love it!”

“Oh, I’m so glad!” She smiled. “Yusuke helped me design it!”

He turned to see the taller young man resting against the railing with Akira leaning on his shoulder as they watched them.

“Thank you very much Fox!”

Yusuke nodded with a small smile. “Naturally we couldn’t forget the first Phantom Thief.”

Ann helped him attach the charm to his collar. “There. I think it looks quite charming.”

Morgana jumped up into the window so that he could see his reflection. When he remained quiet while staring at the red heart lightly resting against the black fur of his chest Akira came over.

“It looks good right?”

Morgana turned suddenly burying his face into Akira’s shirt. “It finally feels like I am really part of the team… like I have a family.”

Scratching his ears lightly Akira waited until the bright blue eyes looked up at him. “I’m sorry it took this long for you to realize, but you have always been a part of this family.”

Ann smiled warmly coming to stand next to him. “It wouldn’t be the same without you, I’m sorry if I made you feel left out the other day.”

Yusuke rested a hand on Akira’s shoulder but grinned down at their friend in the window sill. “Never doubt your importance to us.”

Akira picked Morgana up again and hugged him lightly, fully aware that he was the only one that could get away with lifting him. The purring that filled the room made them grin conspiratorially over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [@InsomniacTiger](https://twitter.com/InsomniacTiger)  
> Come say Hi over on Twitter! I post updates for my stories and art! :)


	5. Days of Sisters -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rule was - No one goes into the Metaverse alone. Sure, he didn't always follow that rule. But that didn't mean he was ok with other people breaking it.

Nights after a visit with Igor and the Twins were hard. Caroline and Justine honestly didn’t bother him too much. They were kind of endearing in their own way. Kind of like when he first met Morgana, they were different, and a bit out there. But Morgana had become a treasured friend, while the Twin Wardens were like amusing acquaintances.

Some times when he returned from the Velvet Room he woke up in a cold sweat, adrenaline pumping through his veins. That’s when he shifted the small body curled up on him to the side, making sure he stayed wrapped up cozily in the blankets before heading down into the café.

The motions of making a fresh brew of coffee were pure instinct at this point. Grabbing a mug, pouring the dark liquid, he slipped back around the counter and relaxed back against the wall in one of the booths. He knew that the caffeine wouldn’t really help to settle his nerves, but sleeping… was much less preferable.

Igor, besides being hard to look at with his beady eyes and leering grin, just unsettled him. The way he spoke like he was a higher being. True that the Personas and those in the Velvet Room were clearly ‘other worldly’. However, Arsène never treated him like a lesser being, more like an equal. A teammate. The other Personas he’d collected also treated him with at least some level of respect.

The Twins were bossy and loud, but he didn’t get the sense they actually hated him.

Igor… definitely treated him like he was an experiment. Nothing more than a splash of blood under a microscope. But he also hadn’t harmed him in any way. Just offered vague advice.

No matter what was going on in that fancy prison of his nightmares, he would prefer not to wake up feeling so… shaken.

One thing that the Metaverse had taught him was how to be strong. To have confidence in himself. With just a little faith and whole lot of work he could do just about anything he wanted while in the cognitive world. Not that he hated who he was here, but he _liked being_ Joker a lot more.

When trying to describe it to Morgana, he’d just chuckled at him.

“But Akira, you and Joker are the same person. The only difference is that while in the Metaverse you dress better.”

As amusing, and in his own way, kind, those words had been, there was no denying that Akira liked the person his rebellious soul had created for him more.

He went to take another sip of his drink and realized that the cup was empty.

Getting to his feet he made a decision.

A stupid one.

One that Morgana would lecture him for days about.

And the other Thieves.

He grinned.

But that’s only if they all found out.

* * *

It was a bit strange running along the rails of Mementos without Mona’s help. He laughed out loud, the sound echoing lightly.

It was so _freeing_ to just run. The acrobatic stunts that he was able to pull off while in the Metaverse always surprised him … later. While he was here, he had complete faith in his ability. Leaping on to the shoulders of a Shadow and tearing off their mask, revealing what they were underneath… easy. Flipping backward to land on his feet, blade already drawn for battle was like breathing.

When he was in the attic above Leblanc or at school not completely paying attention in class, he considered that maybe he was always able to do such things. Wearing the mask gave him a confidence he’d never had before, but maybe it was possible that everything he did as Joker he could just as easily do as Akira.

Ryuji had mentioned that there was a gym that had an obstacle course set up, maybe they should test it out sometime.

He was torn from his thoughts while he finished off another Shadow by a scream coming from further down.

That was human.

Not only that.

He _knew_ that scream.

“ _Futaba?!”_ He called sprinting towards where he had heard the voice from. He winced slightly knowing Morgana would have scolded him for forgetting to use the code name thing.

_But where was she? And why was she here?!_

Flying down the steps to the next floor he saw her with her back to the station wall, a gun trembling in her hand.

Without hesitation he dove for the nearest Shadow tackling it away from her, cleanly shoving his blade into its chest. Bouncing back to his feet he stood with her at his back blocking her from incoming attacks.

“Ak- Joker!” She hiccupped a sob. “How…?”

“Not important. Stay back.” He instructed.

She nodded fleeing to the security of the stairwell.

There were a few easy Shadows that were clearly just swarming to be near the stronger one that was still trying to go after Oracle.

Either way taking them out was a quick task. Especially considering the adrenaline that had been aflame in his veins when he’d heard her scream.

When the last remnants were gone, she slowly came back over to him, head down, hands fidgeting in front of her.

“Thanks. That was pretty scary there for a minute.”

He looked down at her, trying to calm himself down before opening his mouth. Trying to find the right thing to say, to ask. But in the end, there was one question that mattered more than anything else at the moment.

“Are you ok?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I had a few of those medicines that the doctor down the street gave you… so I was still ok.”

He nodded still trying to think of what he wanted to say.

She looked up at him and winced slightly. “A-are you… you look mad…”

Joker realized that he was almost glaring at her, taking one more deep breath and releasing it he reached out and pulled her into a hug.

“I’m not mad. I was scared.”

“What? You? What?”

“What were you doing down here by yourself?”

“I wanted to train. And be stronger. I wanted to level up and learn how to fight like you guys.”

“Why?” He still wasn’t letting her go, she hadn’t stopped shaking.

“Because… I feel useless just hovering behind you guys while you all actually risk your lives to help people… I want to help. We have a hard Palace coming up and I wanted you guys to be able to count on me…”

“We do count on you.” He stepped back so that he could gently lift her goggles and look her in the eye. “You are our one and only Navigator. You are the only one who can do what you do and rely on that. There is no one else who can find the right path for us like you do, or look up Shadows weakness, or give us that extra boost when we aren’t doing so well. You are an essential part to our team. You. As you are.”

She pouted slightly. “You’re just saying that because your nice.”

“I’m saying it because it’s true. If you really want to learn how to fight, I will train with you. I’m sure Morgana and Ryuji would love to help too. Maybe Makoto could show you some of her aikido. But don’t ever come down here alone. That’s always been a rule for us. Morgana set it when we first found him. The reason we do so well is because we have someone watching our backs.”

She seemed to really think over his words before nodding. “Yeah. Ok. Sorry for causing you so much trouble.”

“I’m just glad I made it.”

They started walking back toward the entrance, when she suddenly stopped and spun to look at him, hands on her hips.

“If the rule is ‘no one comes down here alone’ then where is your back up Mister Leader?”

He smiled a bit ruefully, she was always the smart one.  
“Well. I may break the rules sometimes… I am convicted criminal you know.”

“We both know that’s a load of crap. If I can’t come without back up neither can you.” She frowned. “What if something happened?”

He considered pointing out that he usually didn’t have any trouble taking out Shadows. But decided for the sake of not wanting to argue he just nodded.

“Alright. Back up only.”

She smiled. “Yeah! No one goes alone!”

He nodded tucking his hands into his pockets continuing down the path.

“Joker?”

“Yes?”  
“I’m hungry! Make me curry!”

“Wouldn’t you rather have Sojiro’s?”

“No!”

“Fine. I could use some food too.”

“Great! Race you back!”

He chuckled as she took off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [@InsomniacTiger](https://twitter.com/InsomniacTiger)  
> Come say Hi over on Twitter! I post updates for my stories and art! :)


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